A Most Impressive Ad

[dr_phil_physics]

No Apologies Here

As I mentioned the other day, one of the most impressive Super Bowl ads was the two-minute Chrysler 200 ad "Imported From Detroit". It didn't pull punches and it didn't apologize for being from Detroit. If anything, it suggested that being forged in Detroit is a positive, not a negative.

The more I think about it, the more I like this ad. Except for five years in White Plains NY outside New York City and three years of high school in Greensboro NC, I've spent my whole life along the Great Lakes. And at this point, over half my life has been spent in Michigan. Up and down economies, progress and Rust Belt. And a lot of people, including a lot of movers and shakers from the East and Left Coasts, are ready to write off Detroit and Michigan. Hell, Newsweek declared Grand Rapids to be a dying city -- Number 10 on their list of ten. This was a shock to West Michigan, which has sort of basked in the knowledge that things are much brighter over here than in Detroit. GR Mayor Heartwell responded with a letter to Newsweek saying that they didn't know what they were talking about.

And the Chrysler 200 ad did about the same thing.

How Does One Roll With The Punches?

Monday night FOX-TV premiered their next big new cop show, The Chicago Code. The hook is that it is about a war between a bright new police superintendent and a corrupt alderman. What? A Chicago show about crime, murder, corruption and rigged city bids? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you. I'm sure Chicagoans might feel the same way that Detroiters do about Detroit 1-8-7. On the one hand, the latter surely reinforces stereotypes about Detroit as the Murder Capital and a decaying city. On the other hand, there's Hamtramck! And you can see the love some of the characters have for the old city. After all, New York has survived all the countless murders of several incarnations of Law & Order plus CSI: New York, Philadelphia has survived Cold Case and, perhaps even more germane, Baltimore survived the stellar Homicide: Life on the Streets.

In other words, a little publicity is good, especially if they spell your name right.

And in that spirit, Chrysler certainly poked America on Sunday and said, "Detroit. Deal with it."

Dr. Phil

Comments

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

There was once a short-lived crime drama called Juarez, set in El Paso. Hispanic Catholic cops? It was so exicting to us, but only made it about 6 episodes before cancellation. (IMDB lists it as a series pilot, but I really do seem to remember 6 episodes...oh well.)

[anothernathan.livejournal.com]

I assure you Chicago would be thrilled if it had a retread of the St. Patrick's day parade every episode and consisted mostly of kielbasa jokes. That show is generating 100+ full time jobs for union crews. The main cast (which is HUGE) are all staying in hotels and spending generous per diems(?) (Not sure what the plural on that one should be.)

There are probably 150 man-days for background actors per episode. There are large equipment packages on rental for the duration and there's a soundstage (or converted warehouse) and a fairly large suite of offices on rental also.

The city gets $25 per day per location for permits and cops on set (required if you're in the streets) cost $30/hr (and up) with a 6 hour minimum (but it's more likely you'll have each one on payroll for 13-14 hours. There are other fees for any other city services or shooting in public buildings, parks, etc. (These are really reasonable fees, but they add up fast.)

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Chicago LOVES having that show there.
(And we love having The Good Wife shooting in NY even though it's supposed to be Chicago. :D)

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

And as much as I think that Toronto and Vancouver are cool cities, I don't think that they represent Every City as much as studios think they do. (grin)

Detroit is similarly happy to have Detroit 1-8-7 shooting there, as well. Of course, my point was the As Others See Us issue. (double-edged-grin)

Dr. Phil

Agreed

[anne cutrell (from livejournal.com)]

That was a solid ad. Not that I'm going to run out and buy a Chrysler, but it was a good counterpoint to what most people envision when someone says "Detroit."

You forgot to include "The Wire" under shows that feature the underbelly of Baltimore. Now we need one for South East DC. (Wait, wasn't there one, with Nelson Whatshisname? The guy who played Coach?
[rummage rummage]
Yup, Craig T. Nelson and "The District")

Re: Agreed

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

The Wire! I couldn't remember its name. The Shield was Yet Another LA Show.

Dr. Phil

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

That Chrysler commercial made me want to buy that car. Beautifully shot, beautifully cut and produced. It would be my favorite if Baby Vader hadn't shown up.